In his latest video, Engineering Explained's Jason Fenske explores the tricky catch-22 of developing a car like the Veyron. Essentially, if you want a high top speed, you need big power, but that requires a lot of cooling. The more air you send to the engine, though, the more you increase drag, which slows a car down.

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A standard, non-Super Sport Veyron has a drag coefficient of .36 Cd, the same as a Cadillac Escalade. That's why it needs 1000 horsepower to exceed 250 mph. What would it take to push the Bug all the way to 300? According to Fenske's math, about 1800 horsepower would do the job. Of course, you could theoretically get a road car to 300 mph with much less power if you had a more aerodynamic body, but you'd almost assuredly blow the engine due to insufficient cooling air flow.

There are other factors beyond drag to consider, too–you have to account for the rolling resistance of the tires, the parasitic losses in the drivetrain, and more and more.

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